WAWA

Not to be confused with your favorite convenient mart!

Currently, I've surivived PST and the first three weeks at site- I'm staying in a village called Bilira in the southern part of the central region. It's a pretty sweet deal, I have a huge papaya tree in my backyard and I was graced with a house that has solar electricity. It's pretty 'bwana' ( pimp, sweet, or fly in chichewa). Despite my ammenities, I unfortunately reside with a mutant/ monster rat that seems to be impervious to the rat poison I've been feeding it. His name is "Pierre" and he eats all of my f*udgin* food no matter how well it is concealed, hidden, or contained. I also have been at war with the local 'mbuzi' ndi 'nhkuku' ( goats and chickens) that roam freely throughout my yard and tear stuff up. So luckily I've having a privacy fence built so soon I'll be able to clean up the yard and start gardening!

In any event I've been trying my best to keep busy, most of my days involve going on outreach with the HSA's ( Health Survelliance Assistants), trying desperately to keep up on my Chichewa studies and hanging out with the ladies in the Maternity Ward at my health center. I feel that most people are really excited that I'm here and are eager to work with me ( and even more excited that their village 'azungu' / white & rich person {synonymous and seemingly inseperable ideas} is making the effort to use the native lingo) so I feel needed and inspired despite also feeling slightly homesick and lonely. It's a strange combination to say the least.

In other news, unrelated to the 'warm heart of africa', I've recently been engaged! So there will be more information to come on that, mostly because I'm out of the loop as far as planning & logistics are concerned.
However, I do know I'll be home for Christmas- so I will be able to reconnect with everyone then. Until then, I will try my best to post next time I have internet.

Tiwonana!